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Without a single shadow of a doubt, easily the best PM ever. The way she turned this country around was utterly masterful, and we will forever be in her debt for doing so. She was brilliant.
21:12 Sat 08th Apr 2023
TGL was enabled by out of control unions, wet tories, gutless lefties and the 5C generally. Here is what Fred Forsyth wrote in the Express:
Fred Forsyth – Daily Express – 23/02/2007
In all the publicity surrounding the thoroughly merited unveiling of the statue of Margaret Thatcher in the Members’ Lobby of the commons, it is easy to overlook the 17 years of her systematic demonisation by the sniggering classes.
The point is that you have to be of a certain maturity to recall the sheer awfulness of the last years of the seventies. Not just the winter of discontent, 1978/79 but the whole tottering edifice of our country reduced to a near-bankrupt “sick man of Europe”. We were heading, literally, for national ruin.
Every politician, civil servant, banker, industrialist and merchant was convinced that the rot could not even be stopped let alone turned around. But Mrs Thatcher did it and with not much help from the defeatists around her. Most of them believed Britain was finished.
But she took them all on and beat almost all of them. Galtieri in the south, Scargill in the North, the union tyrants at the strike polls, the wimps wherever she met them. They, reduced to their natural pygmy status hated her for it – and still do.
But, whatever they say, she did what had to be done. In her own words “There was no alternative”.
What has always riled me is that the self-serving coterie that destroyed her were not even up to her kneecaps. Such a pity that David Cameron has restored half a dozen of them to his innermost circle of advisers.
Twenty years from now she will still be staring in bronze across the members’ lobby. But you will have to scour the archives to find out who those who brought her down ever were.
Fred Forsyth – Daily Express – 23/02/2007
In all the publicity surrounding the thoroughly merited unveiling of the statue of Margaret Thatcher in the Members’ Lobby of the commons, it is easy to overlook the 17 years of her systematic demonisation by the sniggering classes.
The point is that you have to be of a certain maturity to recall the sheer awfulness of the last years of the seventies. Not just the winter of discontent, 1978/79 but the whole tottering edifice of our country reduced to a near-bankrupt “sick man of Europe”. We were heading, literally, for national ruin.
Every politician, civil servant, banker, industrialist and merchant was convinced that the rot could not even be stopped let alone turned around. But Mrs Thatcher did it and with not much help from the defeatists around her. Most of them believed Britain was finished.
But she took them all on and beat almost all of them. Galtieri in the south, Scargill in the North, the union tyrants at the strike polls, the wimps wherever she met them. They, reduced to their natural pygmy status hated her for it – and still do.
But, whatever they say, she did what had to be done. In her own words “There was no alternative”.
What has always riled me is that the self-serving coterie that destroyed her were not even up to her kneecaps. Such a pity that David Cameron has restored half a dozen of them to his innermost circle of advisers.
Twenty years from now she will still be staring in bronze across the members’ lobby. But you will have to scour the archives to find out who those who brought her down ever were.
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"enabled into power by the SNP"
This again? Why you continue to spout this garbage is unfathomable. But, just in case you're interested in learning what actually happened in 1979, here it is.
In 1979 the Labour government, which had no majority, was unpopular as a result of a winter of industrial disputes as it tried to keep public-sector pay low.
Scotland voted Yes to devolution but a rule imposed by a rebel Labour MP in conjunction with the Conservatives and backed by 33 other Labour Mps overturned the result, by including non-voters and the deas as No votes (A 'rule' never used in any other UK election before or since.)
Jim Callaghan and Michael Foot wanted to leave the devolution act on the statue books with a view to reviving it afer the election, but English Labour MPs vowed to block the plan, leading to the vote of no confidence.
At this point, Callaghan accepted that the writing was on the wall and resigned himself to an early election, even if he had won the vote of no confidence. The idea that losing the vote hastened the election significantly, thereby preventing Labour from recovering support in its remaing few months is, by Callaghan's own admission, completely false. Labour weere now so unpopular that the country voted the tories in by over two million votes, and they continued in power for the next 18 year until being thrown out by Blair's landslide victory in 1997.
Callaghan blamed the election defeat NOT on the SNP but on Labour's own weaknesses over the Winter of Discontent and the self-sabotaged devolution bill. He graciously attributed the tories' success to the former issue, and also their promises of tax cuts.
As well as 11 SNP Mps, 13 Liberals also voted in favour of no confidence, along with 8 other MPs from mixed parties.
This again? Why you continue to spout this garbage is unfathomable. But, just in case you're interested in learning what actually happened in 1979, here it is.
In 1979 the Labour government, which had no majority, was unpopular as a result of a winter of industrial disputes as it tried to keep public-sector pay low.
Scotland voted Yes to devolution but a rule imposed by a rebel Labour MP in conjunction with the Conservatives and backed by 33 other Labour Mps overturned the result, by including non-voters and the deas as No votes (A 'rule' never used in any other UK election before or since.)
Jim Callaghan and Michael Foot wanted to leave the devolution act on the statue books with a view to reviving it afer the election, but English Labour MPs vowed to block the plan, leading to the vote of no confidence.
At this point, Callaghan accepted that the writing was on the wall and resigned himself to an early election, even if he had won the vote of no confidence. The idea that losing the vote hastened the election significantly, thereby preventing Labour from recovering support in its remaing few months is, by Callaghan's own admission, completely false. Labour weere now so unpopular that the country voted the tories in by over two million votes, and they continued in power for the next 18 year until being thrown out by Blair's landslide victory in 1997.
Callaghan blamed the election defeat NOT on the SNP but on Labour's own weaknesses over the Winter of Discontent and the self-sabotaged devolution bill. He graciously attributed the tories' success to the former issue, and also their promises of tax cuts.
As well as 11 SNP Mps, 13 Liberals also voted in favour of no confidence, along with 8 other MPs from mixed parties.
"[Tory MP] Bernard Weatherill played a critical role in the defeat of the government in the vote of confidence. As the vote loomed, Labour's deputy chief whip, Walter Harrison, approached Weatherill to enforce the pairing convention that if a sick MP from the government could not vote, an MP from the opposition would abstain to compensate.
Weatherill said that pairing had never been intended for votes on matters of confidence that meant the life or death of the government and it would be impossible to find a Conservative MP who would agree to abstain. However, after a moment's reflection, he offered that he himself would abstain, because he felt it would be dishonourable to break his word with Harrison.
Harrison was so impressed by Weatherill's offer – which would have effectively ended his political career – that he released Weatherill from his obligation and so the government fell by one vote on the agreement of gentlemen."
Weatherill said that pairing had never been intended for votes on matters of confidence that meant the life or death of the government and it would be impossible to find a Conservative MP who would agree to abstain. However, after a moment's reflection, he offered that he himself would abstain, because he felt it would be dishonourable to break his word with Harrison.
Harrison was so impressed by Weatherill's offer – which would have effectively ended his political career – that he released Weatherill from his obligation and so the government fell by one vote on the agreement of gentlemen."
Reform Bill - wasnt one MP carried into the lobbies on a paliasse to vote, and later died (*) that night? 1837
Clause 2 of the Kings Divorce Bill 1820 passed with such a small majority , it was looked on as a vote of confidence, that the bill was withdrawn
(*) passed - the person, and the bill !
Died is so - un-mimsy
Clause 2 of the Kings Divorce Bill 1820 passed with such a small majority , it was looked on as a vote of confidence, that the bill was withdrawn
(*) passed - the person, and the bill !
Died is so - un-mimsy
YNNAFYMMI, "The SNP,the Brexiteer party up here in Scotland."
Can you point to any part of the SNP's official Brexit policy recommending that folk vote in favour of Brexit?
At least you appear to have accepted the fact that those SNP voters who voted for Brexit made no difference to the outcome of the Referendum.
Can you point to any part of the SNP's official Brexit policy recommending that folk vote in favour of Brexit?
At least you appear to have accepted the fact that those SNP voters who voted for Brexit made no difference to the outcome of the Referendum.
This question is purely of academic interest only.
Had the SNP MPs voted to keep the Callaghan government in power it would have been for six months only as a general election had to be held in October 1979 at the latest. The Tories won the May '79 election by 44 seats and it is highly likely that, with the Callaghan administration in increasing disarray, a Tory victory (with Mrs Thatcher still in charge) in October would have seen defeat by a wider margin. All the 11 SNP MPs (or the 13 Lib Dems or 7 Ulster Unionists - take your pick) did in March 1979 was to spare the country another six months of the torment that the Labour government had visited on a thoroughly fed up electorate. I know. I was there. And it wasn't pretty.
Had the SNP MPs voted to keep the Callaghan government in power it would have been for six months only as a general election had to be held in October 1979 at the latest. The Tories won the May '79 election by 44 seats and it is highly likely that, with the Callaghan administration in increasing disarray, a Tory victory (with Mrs Thatcher still in charge) in October would have seen defeat by a wider margin. All the 11 SNP MPs (or the 13 Lib Dems or 7 Ulster Unionists - take your pick) did in March 1979 was to spare the country another six months of the torment that the Labour government had visited on a thoroughly fed up electorate. I know. I was there. And it wasn't pretty.
